The city of Durand continues to move forward with an agreement to join the Dunn County Economic Development Corporation. The city joined the school district and other groups to explore the possibility of joining Dunn County EDC and has put up $5000 toward the effort. Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city economic development committee will be meeting soon to discuss some of the details of the plan. It is hoped to have an agreement with Dunn County EDC sometime this spring.
The Wabasha County Board is meeting tomorrow morning. Items on the agenda include the presentation of the 4-H and Extension quarterly reports, discussion, and possible action on the approval to purchase 3 new CAD workstations and committee reports. Tomorrow's meeting begins at 9am at the government center in Wabasha.
A St. Paul man was arrested for OWI on Sunday afternoon in Dunn County. According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, troopers pulled over 38yr old Louis Williams for a seatbelt and speeding violation on I-94 near Knapp. The trooper observed that Williams showed signs of impairment and conducted field sobriety tests. Williams was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of a restricted controlled substance while having a child passenger in the vehicle and possession of marijuana.
No one was injured in a house fire in Menomonie on Saturday. According to the Menomonie Fire Department, firefighters responded to the blaze on North Broadway Street at approximately 1pm Saturday afternoon. The home was heavily damaged and is considered a total loss due to the fire as crews were on the scene for nearly 3hrs. The cause of the fire was a heater the homeowner was using to thaw frozen pipes inside the home.
Authorities in northern Wisconsin are investigating the death of a snowmobiler from La Crosse. The Iron County Sheriff's Office says the 55-year-old was found unresponsive late Thursday night on a trail between Hurley and Gile. Deputies believe the snowmobile missed a curve and struck a tree and that speed was a factor in the crash. The victim's name hasn't been released.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has sided with legislative Republicans on the question of hiring outside lawyers. Republicans wanted to make the hires in anticipation of legal challenges to the state’s redrawn political maps. They expected lawsuits. The high court ruled taxpayer dollars could be used to pay for the lawyers. Opponents had challenged the idea of entering into contracts with private lawyers before a lawsuit had been filed. One of the two law firms would have been paid up to 965 thousand dollars last year for what was called “pre-litigation counseling.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled absentee ballot drop boxes can be used in next month’s primary election. The ruling was handed down late Friday. The justices have also agreed to hear an expedited appeal. That means they could decide on using those drop boxes before the general election in November. The final four-to-three vote was supported by liberal justices Jill Karofsky, Ann Walsh Bradley, and Rebecca Dallet. Conservative swing Justice Brian Hagedorn joined them in voting to allow the boxes.
A U-S House committee wants information from two so-called "alternate electors" from Wisconsin about efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Select Committee issued subpoenas Friday to former Wisconsin Republican Party chair Andrew Hitt, G-O-P activist Kelly Ruh - and 12 others who cast votes as alternative electors. Committee chair Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said the panel is seeking information on attempts to overturn the election in seven states, "including the planning and coordination of efforts to send false slates of electors to the National Archives." Hitt told Wisconsin Public Radio that he will cooperate with the committee's request.
The Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) is among the groups vying for state funds in the 2022 legislative session. The M-R-E-A's Mike Bull says broadband expansion and electric vehicle funding are top priorities. Bull says for many co-ops rural broadband is the new "rural electrification" where farmers and other leaders are pulling together to provide an essential service that for-profit companies wouldn't bring to rural Minnesota." He says dealing with standard pole attachment fees for cable companies is another priority.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota is urging consumers to watch out for look-alike websites when requesting a free COVID test. The B-B-B’s Bao Vang says these scam sites may ask for payment or personal information such as your Social Security number. But Vang warns a real website will not ask for your payment information or insurance details, the two main things are your name and address. Vang says to look closely at the domain name and watch out for tricky subdomains.
Hit-and-run charges are expected to be filed in Dane County in last week’s fatal crash that killed a high school student. Fourteen-year-old Jeremiah Broomfield died and a 12-year-old suffered serious injuries. The man police say is responsible is in custody on a probation hold. Madison police say the suspect ran away from the scene. Broomfield was a freshman at La Follette High School on the city’s east side. The two-vehicle accident happened Saturday, January 15th, at about 8:00 p-m. The suspect’s name hasn’t been released.
A 31-year-old drug dealer from Illinois, whose activities connected him to multiple fatal overdoses, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Neko Donovan Forbes was sentenced Thursday in Wood County Circuit Court. Prosecutors told the court the Chicago man imported and delivered large amounts of narcotics from his home to two Nekoosa residents for sale in central Wisconsin. Forbes was accused of deliberately cutting the drugs with fentanyl to increase their potency and to increase his profits. He pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree reckless homicide in an April 2020 overdose death. Two co-conspirators also entered guilty pleas.
It sounds like the courts will again draw new legislative and congressional district boundaries in Minnesota, with no clear signs of agreement between House Democrats and Senate Republicans. The deadline is February 15th. Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller says he's had some talks with House Speaker Melissa Hortman, but adds, "it's gonna be a challenge. I'm not quite sure that it's gonna get done, but we are having discussions and if we can get there we'll do it. If not, then it'll be up to the courts." Split control of the Minnesota Legislature has resulted in the courts drawing the boundary lines every decade except one for the last 50 years. Redistricting happens every ten years after each census.
A former Albert Lea High school counselor and girls basketball coach is pleading not guilty to third-degree criminal sexual contact. Thirty-two-year-old Richard Polley is accused of having sexual contact with a female student in his home. The criminal complaint says the girl spoke with Polley as her counselor and the two became friends on Snapchat. Polley was initially placed on paid administrative leave and later terminated by the school board. His trial is scheduled for October.
The number of air travelers using Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport continues to rebound as the COVID pandemic continues. The Metropolitan Airports Commission reports there were 25-point-two million passengers at M-S-P in 2021 - a 69-point-six percent increase from 2020. That number is still 36 percent lower than the record 39-nine-and-a-half million passengers in 2019. MAC chair Brian Ryks is encouraged by the increase in passengers in the last year but says M-S-P still faces many challenges and uncertainties because of the continued spread of COVID globally.
One possible strategy as Milwaukee tries to deal with its reckless driving plague is confiscating the vehicle that was being used. That was discussed by members of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission during a virtual meeting Thursday night. Milwaukee police would be allowed to tow vehicles associated with reckless driving or speeding. Vehicles could be confiscated after involvement in reckless driving, fleeing an officer, drag racing, or going 25 miles an hour or faster than the posted speed limit.
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